Ice Cream Flavors And Texture: Short Wave: NPR

The average American eats more than 22 pounds of ice cream and frozen treats a year.

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The average American eats more than 22 pounds of ice cream and frozen treats a year.

Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61

The average American eats more than 22 pounds of ice cream and frozen treats a year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (we at Short Wave don’t think that’s nearly enough!).

Flavors range from the classics vanilla and chocolate to the adventurous jalapeo and crickets. For ice scientist dr. Maya Warren flavor is only part of the allure of ice cream.

“It’s such a sensational experience because it’s not just about the taste itself,” she says. “Some ice cream products may have more air, some may have less air, some may have a bit of a coarser texture, some may have a bit of a weaker texture. Some may have a fuller texture.”

The way ice cream is made and deciding what ingredients to use is part of the fun. Every single component or step in the process changes the microstructure of ice cream and ultimately what we taste and feel in our mouth.

So in today’s episode, Emily Kwong talks to Short Wave producer Thomas Lu about some of the processes that create the texture of ice cream, and how that texture contributes to our enjoyment of the tasty treat.

Ice Cream In A Bag Recipe

• One Gallon Zippered Bag
• Quarter Gallon Zipper Bag
• One cup half-and-half (or equal parts milk and cream)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups of ice cream
• cup kosher salt (or ice salt – the larger the grain, the better)

1. Mix half and half, sugar and vanilla extract together
2. Pour this mixture into the quart-sized bag and seal, making sure to squeeze the air out. Put aside.
3. Fill the gallon-sized bag with 3 cups of ice, about half the size of the bag
4. Sprinkle in the kosher salt
5. Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag. Press the air out again and seal.
6. Hold the bag with a towel or oven mitts and shake for about 10-15 minutes. Check the ice cream mixture regularly to make sure it is setting. If not, add more ice and salt.
7. Once the ice cream mixture is firm, or close to ice cream consistency, your bagged ice cream is ready to enjoy

You can follow Thomas on twitter @thomasuylu and Emily @emilykwong1234. Email the show with suggestions or thoughts at [email protected].

This episode was reported and produced by Thomas Lu with help from Rebecca Ramirez, edited by Gisele Grayson and controlled by Indi Khera. The audio engineer for this episode was Gilly Moon.